Free Apps to Download Before Heading to College

Whether it’s helping keep track of your money or personal safety, there are a number of apps to help college students. Before heading to campus, be sure to check these out.

Companion

Ideally, you will never get separated from your friends at a party, study late into the night at the library or work a late shift. But if you do find yourself having to walk home alone late at night, you’ll want to have Companion downloaded on your phone. The app — created by college students — allows you to notify a friend to monitor your route home via GPS, even if they themselves do not have the app. It also will notify them when you are home safe. Having an issue? With a single tap you can let your contacts to know to phone the police or call your local police department.

Venmo

From splitting a pizza to ordering t-shirts for a club, you’ll either have to pay someone back in college or need them to pay you. And let’s be honest, few people carry cash these days. Venmo hooks up to your bank account and allows you to send money to friends — whether it’s for utilities or for that party you promised to chip in for.

Evernote

Those who use Evernote swear by it as a way to keep track of your life across all your devices. You can keep all your classes organized in notebooks that allow you to put lecture notes, articles and homework assignments in one place. Evernote offers premium subscriptions; the basic one gives you 60MB per month.

Mint

There are a number of apps out there advertising randomly pulling money out of your checking account and into your savings like it’s an excellent idea. No. Get smart about how much money you are spending (and making) with Mint. It connects to your credit and debit cards and tracks what it purchased, categorizing each transaction into one of dozens of categories. You set a budget for each category and can create new ones as needed — such as one for savings.

Flashcards+

Be able to fit in a quick study session anytime by having your flashcards always with you. The app allows you to use text or images to create your cards. It also can help with pronunciation for foreign language classes.